October 04, 2020

Another Message From a Little Bird?

So... I love cats. I think everybody knows that. I have four of them, and they pretty much run the household.

However, I am SO fed up with some neighborhood cats that I have no idea how to handle it!

Some people who live kitty corner to me have a couple of feral cats living underneath their shed. And next door to them, a woman recently moved in and brought several (maybe 6-8?) outdoor cats with her. They are all driving me crazy!

There are 3-4 cats that I find on or under our back deck, usually because my (strictly indoor) cats are making a huge fuss over something. However, while out for my morning walks, I've noticed the neighborhood cats doing more than just chilling on my deck.

I've seen them catch a baby rabbit (which nearly traumatized me), playing with birds that they've caught, and go after my beloved squirrels. I've sent Joey outside so many times now with a "go get him!" attitude (he would never hurt a cat, but running after one to chase it away can't hurt).

I've had squirrels on my deck come "beg" for a walnut and then when they run toward the nearest tree, a cat randomly sprints out from under our deck to try to catch the squirrel. I always yell and chase the cats off, but I'm really getting fed up with it. 

Animal control won't do anything because there is no limit on "outdoor cats" as pets--you can't prove the cats belong to someone--and animal control doesn't go around picking up stray cats. Over the last few months, we've gotten about 5-6 new cats hanging around our house, sitting on our back deck, and attacking small animals (not to mention making my cats go crazy).

It's so frustrating! I would never want to harm them, but I want them gone--away from my property! So if anyone has any ideas, I'm happy to hear them. Aside from chasing them off, I don't know what to do.

It makes me sad, too. I've seen several cats with issues that need to be seen by a veterinarian. We have a neighborhood app to post bulletins for the other people in surrounding neighborhoods, so I've posted on there about a few cats I've seen that have needed medical attention. I even offered to pay for it! But nobody has claimed the cats that I've seen and posted pictures of, so the cats may be feral.

It was clear to me that this one had a broken leg (this photo was taken in May and according to other people in the neighborhood, the cat still doesn't use that leg). I tried to get close enough to be able to catch it and bring it into the vet, but I couldn't get anywhere near it (I used Noah's "good" camera to take this photo from a distance). 


At the very least, I know I should buy a live trap and get the cats spayed/neutered ASAP. But even though you get a steep discount for trap-and-release cats, it gets expensive ($25 each for feral cats).

I don't want this whole post to be a big complaint about stray/feral cats, so here is a cute photo of Eli.


Yesterday, he heard a bird crash into his bedroom window. There was even a feather stuck in the window screen! He went outside to make sure that the bird was okay, but he found the poor thing under the window, still alive.


When he called to me to come see it, I immediately thought of the bird that came to "visit" me several years ago--a golden-crowned kinglet. That bird meant SO much to me and couldn't have shown up at a better time (it was the day Trump was announced the new president. It's kind of interesting that each of these instances happened on an election year.).


Even though it was gray and yellow, the bird Eli found wasn't the same type as mine. I tried searching for it online, but I don't know anything about birds to be able to find it. I was thinking maybe a Kirtland Warbler? But those are endangered, so I'm guessing probably not.

The bird was very stunned from hitting Eli's window, and for Eli's sake, I hoped that it was okay.

Eli is extremely compassionate toward animals--he gets very upset if he hears anything about an animal suffering, and he won't watch TV shows or movies where animals appear to be harmed/killed. He refuses to go hunting (even though my dad has asked him several times) and even when he goes fishing, he only does catch-and-release fishing. He's even writing a report for school about deforestation and how it affects the animals.

Anyway, Eli sat on the porch for an HOUR holding the poor bird and hoping that it would be okay and fly away. I told him to put it under the tree and that it would be fine, it was just stunned (I wasn't sure, but I didn't want Eli to know that). Still, he sat outside holding the bird, even after it pooped on his hand, haha.

I went out to check on him every once in a while, and Eli finally came in and said that the bird flew away into the woods! Whew :) Maybe this little birdie was bringing a message yet again on this election year--be kind to each other and have compassion <3

21 comments:

  1. We have feral cats and kittens where we live too. I caught one in a live trap, found it a home, and paid the first vet bill. People are so stupid when they don't get their pets spayed and neutered. It is frustrating as hell and sad because I think about how hard it would be to always be hungry and have no home.

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    1. Yes! I feel so sorry for all the cats I see while I'm out walking. There are a LOT of them. Whether they have homes and just live outdoors or whether they are feral, I feel terrible that they have fleas and need medical attention. I want to gather them ALL and take them to the vet.

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  2. It is sad that people are not taking care of the hurt cats. However, if you attract that many squirrels to your yard by feeding them, you can't be surprised when the neighborhood cats hunt them. That's what they're meant to do--hunt prey. They probably see your yard as a buffet! I know that sounds horrible, but it's true. Too many squirrels in an area can be a problem as well. In fact, squirrels can do a LOT of damage to homes if they get used to hanging around; we have had squirrels burrow into eaves and make homes in odd places in houses before, and it's such a nuisance. And yes, cats will hunt rabbits. If rabbits don't get preyed on, they can become overpopulated and that's a problem, too. It's Nature, like it or not.

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    1. We actually don't have very many squirrels--maybe about 4-6? We live across from a marsh, so we get a ton of wildlife (and yes, I know the "circle of life" is nature, it's just sad to see it happening!). The squirrels are prey to the predatory birds from the marsh--we have hawks, osprey, and even eagles. Sadly, some people around here have lost small pets to foxes and coyotes! (Another reason I don't let my cats outdoors.)

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  3. Can you catch the cats and take them to no kill shelters, if you have any? I wouldn't feel guilty about that at all if the "owners" aren't taking care of them at all.

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    1. Yes, I've thought of that, too. I do feel a little guilty, because I'm sure the cats wouldn't be too happy about it, but the owners really aren't taking good care of them. And I'm sure I can't be the only one of my neighbors who are tired of it!

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  4. Yikes, that sounds like a huge problem! Where I live, cats are not allowed to be "outside cats". If you have a cat that is your pet, has to be indoors, or on a leash and wearing tags.

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    1. I really wish that was a law here! It's pretty rural here, so the laws must be more lax. The woman who just moved in has a cat door, so the cats go inside and outside as the please. Mostly outside :/

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  5. I love this bird story! So sweet. Eli is so kind for sitting outside with the bird until it flew away! What an amazing guy!

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  6. Use a have-a-heart trap and turn the feral cats into the animal control in your town. Tell them the cats are chasing your dog and spraying your house. It's their responsibility to take care of this, since I'm assuming you pay property taxes. For what I pay in taxes, I would be furious if they didn't address this. It's not your job to pay out of your pocket to neuter or have these flea ridden cats treated.

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    1. Very true about the taxes! I also pay association dues, so it makes me wonder if the association can do something about the problem.

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  7. ugh......outdoor cats are so bad for our wildlife. I know its a pain and costly to trap them but I would. And then drop them off at the humane society. Honestly, the neighbor with the 6-8 "outdoor" cats is being very rude to her neighbors. I would put a nice note in her mailbox stating that any cats roaming around without a collar or tag will be trapped and sent to the humane society. She might get the picture and maybe do more to keep her cats near her? Also, there are some repellents that keep cats away, not sure how effective they are. And lastly, I love your pic of Eli and the bird. You've got a great boy there Mama. :)

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    1. I've been looking for repellants, and it's so overwhelming! There are so many different ideas. It sounds like a motion controlled water sprinkler would be the best option. I don't want to deter the squirrels by using certain smells, but I don't think they'd be bothered by the sprinkler.

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  8. May I send you a check in support of spaying and neutering the cats you catch? where do I send the check?

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    1. That is SO VERY KIND of you to offer! I still have to check into the program for the trap-neuter-release (I know I have to take a class in order to be able to get the discounted rate for feral cats). It's very generous of you to offer, but if you'd like, you could donate to Friskie Felines, the rescue where we got Chick and Duck. They are FANTASTIC and I'm amazed at how much work they do. It's not a large rescue--just a woman and her husband who run it out of their home. They constantly take in litters of kittens that people have found living outside or whose mother was hit by a car or something like that. They have to bottle feed all the babies unless they have a nursing mother that can help. Anyway, I had no idea how much work goes into a non-profit rescue like that, and I've donated a couple of times when they've gotten several cats at once (like from a hoarding situation--they get the cats neutered and cared for by a vet, give them vaccines, and get them ready to adopt out. Here is the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FriskieFelinesMI
      Thank you! xoxo

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  9. Ugh! I totally understand the frustration of outside cats! We had one who would consistently poop in our yard EVERY day of the summer. We don't have dogs, but we have two indoor kitties. It was super annoying to have to go pick up poop before my kids could run around outside. I hope someone has a great idea for you. All we could think of was motion censored sprinklers! Lol! (We did also see that coffee grounds were a deterrent for them. It seemed to work for us...but it was only one cat we were dealing with.)

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    1. Yes! I've seen cat poop in my yard several times since the feral cats have been coming around and it's super annoying because we walk around back there a lot.

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  10. Katie, one idea! Jackson Galaxy (my cat from hell) did an episode where feral cats were spraying the outside of a persons house and it was freaking out their indoor cats and they were having accidents everywhere. He set up a motion detected sprinkler type system? It’s for cats and when they get near the identified area they get squirted with water. It was super effective. I’m sure we can track down the episode or product and I bet it would solve that part of the issue!

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    1. I like this idea! I'm going to look on Amazon to see what I can find. I'll just have to remember not to set off the sprinklers when I walk around out there ;)

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  11. People in rural areas with gardens use motion-activated sprinklers to ward off deer. That might help. Maybe you can convince the neighbor to put bells on collars for her outdoor cats.

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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